Wall construction



Nov. 15, 1955 A. w. BAILEY/ WALL CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 4, 1949 INVENTOR. AZONZO l/V-BA/ZE) United States Patent v WALL CONSTRUCTION I Alonzo W. Bailey, Cleveland, Ohio Application November 4, 1949, Serial No. 125,539

1 Claim. (Cl. 189--34) This invention relates broadly to architectural frame work and more specifically to wall or sill plates for the support of joists, metal decks, beams, roof trusses, and

similar structural parts.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a wall plate embodying similar pressed steel rail sections held in parallel relation with each other by spacer blocks proportioned to accommodate engagement of the assembly upon a wall of any given thickness.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wall plate embodying parallel steel rails insulated from each other by wood or other non-metallic blocks.

Another object of the invention is to provide a steel rail section which is fabricated to accommodate the ready assembly of the connecting spacer blocks thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a building unit, formed either of rolled or structural steel members, which is adapted for use either as a wall plate or a sill to support studding, wall panels, and similar fabricated units of construction.

Further objects of the invention reside in the provision of a wall plate which, though formed principally of steel, is light in weight, rigid of structure, economic of manufacture, and susceptible of use in different environs without modification of the steel members therein.

Other objects and advantages, more or less ancillary to the foregoing, and the manner in which all the various objects are realized, will appear in the following description, which, considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, sets forth the preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a view in perspective of a-fragmentary portion of a wall and the improved plate, the forward end of the wall and the rails of the plate being shown in section in the interest of clarity;

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the spacer block assembly removed therefrom;

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the supporting brackets for the spacer blocks;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of a pair of aligned rail sections;

Fig. 5 is an end elevational view of a rail member of the form illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 when fabricated from heavy gauge metal;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the improved plate positioned for use as a sill plate; and

Fig. 7 is a modified form thereof illustrated in combination with studding or other vertical wall members.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the wall plate embodies a pair of pressed or rolled sheet metal rails R, each comprising a horizontal flange 10, a vertical web 11 having the lower portion thereof folded back upon itself to form a rib 12, and a second horizontal flange 13 bent from the rib 12 and disposed in spaced parallel relation with the flange 10. In large building structures the rails may be fabricated from heavy gauge plates having lateral flanges thereon with angle irons 13 welded "ice upon the webs or lower leg portions thereof as illustrated in Fig. 5. The rails R are connected to each other by blocks 14 supported in brackets B welded or otherwise secured to the web 11 intermediate the flanges 10 and 13.- The brackets are identical, each comprising a rectangular plate 16 having the end portions thereof bent inwardly, the deeper flange 17 thereof being biased to define an angle of less than relative to the inner face of the plate, while the shorter flange 18 is normal thereto. The brackets are mounted on the rails in inverted relation to each other so that the flange 18 of one of the brackets will overlie the upper lineal edge of the block 14 while the flange 18 of the other bracket partially embraces the lower diagonally opposed lineal edge thereof. The block is preferably formed of wood and the plates 16 are pierced to receive screws 19 for the retention thereof. The blocks are of uniform length and thickness for all wall plates of a comparable size, but the width thereof may vary according to the thickness of the wall upon which the plate is to be mounted. The brackets are affixed to the rails R in spaced lineal relation with each other, the center-to-center dimension therefor being approximately twenty-four inches for a ten-foot unit. The rail sections may be held in axial alignment by mounting a bracket assembly in outboard relation with one end of each unit (Fig. 4) and inserting the protruding portion thereof into the opening between rails of the contiguous unit during the erection of the building.

The improved plate is mounted on a wall section W by assembling the depending rib sections 12 in telescopic engagement with the top thereof, which, in the case of masonry, is preferably pre-coated with a grouting or caulking material. If desired, the ribs may be crossdrilled for the reception of through bolts or screws, and in certain types of construction, furring strips or cornice plates may be welded in place upon the outer rail of the plate during the construction of the building.

As illustrated in Fig. 6, the rail R heretofore described may be mounted in inverted position on a floor beam 20 or similar structural part, the ribs 12 and horizontal flanges 13 in this case being disposed for engagement with wall members 21, such, for example, as studding or prefabricated wall units. If desired, the void between the rails R may be filled with concrete 22, such material being preferably poured in place during the erection of the building.

Fig. 7 illustrates an alternate form of construction, the rail 30 in this case being similar to those heretofore described save that the rib 31 is disposed in normal relation to the inner edge of the flange 13. This embodiment is intended for use in the construction of walls of the type in which the wall plates or studding 32 are! spaced to form a hollow wall or cavity that may be filled with an insulating material.

From the foregoing it will be seen that rails of a uniform size may be used for walls that vary widely in, thickness and that subassemblies of the plate may be made up ready for installation on a building structure by merely mounting spacer blocks of the requisite width in the brackets as soon as the wall thickness for the particular building is determined.

It will also be seen that the wood or other non-metallic spacer blocks, together with the void between the rails, will provide an efficient thermal and electric insulating medium, and that the durability and strength of the improved wall plate or sill is far superior to timbers or other types of plates heretofore in use.

Although the foregoing description is necessarily of a detailed character, in order that the invention may be completely set forth, it is to be understood that the specific terminology is not intended to be restrictive or confining, and that various rearrangements of parts and modifications of detail may be resorted to without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as herein claimed.

I claim:

An architectural load-supporting member comprising a pair of steel rails, horizontal flanges on each rail disposed in vertical and transverse spaced parallel relation, depending ribs folded from the side walls of said rails, plates welded upon the inner face of each rail between said flanges, opposed intermediate ends thereon disposed in spaced parallel relation, flanges on the free ends thereof disposed in spaced parallel relation, and prismoidal heat insulating blocks secured between the intermediate portions of said plates and partially engaged by the flanged portions of the intermediate ends of said plates,

said blocks supporting said rails for sliding engagement of the depending folded flanges thereon over the top of a Wall of a building structure and constituting the only connection between said rails.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,688,016 Klaasen Oct. 16, 1928 1,718,252 Putnam -June 25, 1929 2,200,159 Davis, Jr. May 7, 1940 2,257,296 Goldsmith Sept. 30', 1941 2,261,077 Schultz Oct. 8, 1941 2,321,373 Eades June 8, 1943 2,352,807 Sheldon July 4, 1944 2,356,309 Garbe Aug. 22, 1944 2,390,857 Tucker Dec. 11, 1945 

